John 4
Proximity.
4Now he had to go through Samaria.
The Pharisees had been after John the Baptist for a while…questioning his identity. John would always point them to someone greater…and when Jesus enters the scene and begins to draw bigger crowds than John the Baptist, the Pharisees took notice. Knowing this and wanting to avoid conflict, Jesus leaves Judea and decides to return to Galilee. In doing so he decides to cut through Samaria.
Most Jews would have avoided Samaria altogether. Although the route was longer they would have gone around…and not set foot in this area. The Jews hated the Samaritans. They were an “intermarried” group of Jews and former captives from other nations…placed there by the Assyrians. In the eyes of the Jews, these people were no longer “pure” Jews….and so they were avoided like the plague. But not Jesus. He intentionally crosses Samaria.
Why?
Was he in a hurry? Did he want to take the shortcut? No. Jesus went to Samaria to offer them the same thing that he had just offered Nicodemus. The offer of eternal life…by being born again. You might be familiar with John 3:16? Influence in this region would require proximity. This is as simple as it gets. In order to reach the lost we must encounter the lost. We can’t expect to share the gospel with non-believers if we are never around them. Jesus intentionally attempts to get into the proximity of the non-believer.
We in the church are as guilty as any of creating a culture of safety and sterility. We have built up the walls…insulated them…guarded them…”protected” the flock from the outsider. Well…let me take the risk of never talking to any of you again. We know for the most part who attends church. Most of you follow Christ. You are familiar with church. Many of you are growing in your relationship with Christ. Some of you are even giving your life away in his name. But here’s what I would say to all of us: I don’t want you to ever return. Don’t come back. If it means that you have neglected “those around the corner” then I don’t really care to see any of you again. If you are only here to stack bricks and fortify the walls to avoid “those people” out there…then we don’t need you. What we need are people willing to cut across “Samaria”.
Get into the proximity of someone who needs Jesus…and share.
@1 week ago#John
